Delayed
by SkinnyLittleLesbian
Summary: When Regina's flight is delayed, she finds herself tugged along on a vacation she never planned for. Swan Queen.
1. Chapter 1

Regina slapped her ticket down on the counter. Her dark leer was making the poor petite blonde behind the computer cower – all the better, she thought, to get an upgrade and a free meal out of this catastrophe.

"You mean to tell me that the flight I paid seven-hundred-and-eighty-four dollars for is delayed?" She leaned closer. "Is that truly what you mean to tell me?"

The woman licked her lips. Regina's eyes darted down to the crooked nametag and snorted. This 'Amanda' creature wouldn't last five minutes in any real job. Amanda cleared her throat and nodded. "I'm afraid-"

"Clearly," Regina interrupted. "What do you plan to do in order to compensate me for wasting my valuable time?"

"Lady, you really need to calm down."

Regina's head whipped sideways and so that she could glare at the interloper – the smiling blonde woman made the breath catch in her throat. She grumbled to make sure she still could control herself and then responded, "You really need to mind your own business."

"I will – as soon as you can talk to this poor woman who's just doing her job without screaming in her face."

"I do not scream."

The woman's smirk deepened. "Is that so?"

"I have no idea what you're implying; however, I refuse to-"

"Relax?" The woman set a hand on Regina's wrist. "I'm Emma. Why don't you let me get you a drink?"

"A drink will not get me to my meeting in a timely manner."

"Maybe not, but it'll make the in-between a little nicer." Emma pulled gently on her arm. "So come on. Leave Amanda here alone. There's nothing she can do. She's not paid enough to be your emotional punching bag."

Regina frowned. "I demand-"

"I'm sure you demand a lotta things. Why don't you find out what sort of needs I can fulfill."

Swallowing back her sudden embarrassment at the innuendo in Emma's words, Regina tilted her head up and nodded curtly. "Very well. But I drink only the best."

"I'm sure my wallet can take it." Emma slipped her hand around Regina's waist and guided her away from Amanda, who shot Emma a very thankful glance.

0-0-0

Regina examined Emma from the blonde's ugly black boots to the weathered leather jacket zipped halfway up – and then brought her gaze to Emma's face. Emma snorted and slid a shot glass across the counter. The clear liquid inside nearly sloshed over the side and Regina picked it up delicately. After a hesitant, disdainful sniff, she narrowed her eyes.

"The bar is closed."

"Maybe for most people." Emma leaned over the counter and placed the vodka bottle back into its place. "But I'm not most people."

"I suppose you're not. Most people would have some sense of fashion and decorum."

Emma went to a refrigeration unit, snagged a beer from it, and smirked as she cracked it open. "What do you think I am?"

"A thief."

"Not anymore." To prove her point, she dug her wallet out with her spare hand and tossed a fifty onto the counter. "Guess again."

Regina's eyes raked once more over Emma's form. "Have you been to prison?"

"Once."

"So you're a hoodlum."

"Arguably." Emma took a long swig and then licked her lips. "Any other guesses?"

Regina huffed. "That's all. I don't think there's anything more to you."

"If only they'd look closer," Emma responded. "Would they see a poor boy? No siree. They'd find out-"

"Do people find this charming?"

"Generally speaking." Emma tapped the shot glass with her beer bottle. "Go on. It's paid for."

Regina sniffed it once more and then knocked it back. Despite her reservations, it had just the burn she was looking for and it slid smoothly down her throat. Rather than praise Emma, though, she simply set the glass aside and tried to continue looking affronted.

Emma set her bottle down and traced her finger around its mouth. "So why were you harassing Amanda?"

"I'm going to be late for my meeting."

"So? Sometimes life happens."

"Is that how you ended up in prison?"

Emma barked out a short laugh. "Something like that."

"Interesting." She wasn't nearly drunk enough for this, Regina thought. She cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head toward her glass. Catching her drift, Emma sighed and leaned back over the counter for the bottle of vodka.

"You always this much of a booze hound?" Emma poured the liquor with a steady hand, though her eyes were on Regina's humorless smile. When the stoic woman didn't deign to answer, Emma took the shot glass and drained its contents before Regina could even stutter out a complaint. "Tell me about yourself and you'll earn another shot."

"This wasn't our agreement." Regina wanted to use Emma's name but refused to be informal. She would never be caught dead fraternizing with an ex-convict, especially one so questionably dressed. "If you're through providing alcoholic distractions, then I may as well return to my original-"

"Leave Amanda alone," Emma said. She grabbed Regina's wrist to keep Regina from leaving and tugged gently. "What's the harm in telling me one little thing?"

The harm was, Regina wanted to say, in letting a complete stranger know intimate details about hers. She hardly let her friends know such things about her. Well, if she had any real friends, they wouldn't know, she amended. Every person in her life was after something – and this blonde was no different. She would simply keep things vague until she could ascertain Emma's purpose.

"I am a very important person."

"I can tell from your designer shoes, expensive purse, and haughty attitude." Emma tossed the shot glass from hand to hand. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Again, this wasn't our agreement."

"As the current holder of the booze, I think I make the rules."

Regina frowned. "I'll walk out of here."

"So why don't you?" Emma countered. "There's the door."

Regina folded her arms over her chest. She couldn't admit that there was something charmingly smooth about Emma – a suave something that drew her interest. She grumbled and replied, "I suppose sitting with you and alcohol is the lesser of two evils when compared to the sweaty masses out there."

"Glad to know I'm at least somewhat better than a family of four with a glandular problem and no sense of personal space. Did you see them, by the way? Normally I wouldn't say anything, but now that you mention it – someone oughta tell them there is a non invasive surgery available to-"

"Enough." Regina held her hand out. "If I'm to put up with your prattle I'll need another shot."

Emma complied and Regina grimaced at the obvious lip marks on the glass. Emma noted the expression and barely withheld her laughter. "What's wrong, princess?"

"Princess?" Regina scoffed, "I'm a queen."

"Now that's something I didn't know, but could really get behind." Emma took the glass back, her fingers purposely gliding over Regina's. "Or under."

"Lewd."

"Sorry." Emma wasn't sorry – especially after watching the color rise in the fiery woman's cheeks. "Any more fun facts about you?"

"No."

"I'm heading to Maine for a funeral," Emma stated. She ignored Regina's disinterest and continued onward. "My grandfather died."

"Would you like a cookie?"

Emma poured herself a drink. "The rules are information and then drink. In that order. No exceptions."

Regina watched the liquid disappear. "You are aware that you drank your beer first."

"Beer before liquor," Emma supplied, "never been sicker."

"You're highly intelligent."

"I know." Emma shrugged. "But I've done enough drinking in my time that I know what my body can handle. Is that a fact? Can I drink to that?"

"It's my turn," Regina snapped. "I'm the vice president of a very influential corporation."

"I did not know that." Emma obliged Regina's glare with another shot. "See? That's not too bad is it?"

Regina blinked slowly, aware that she was fast approaching her limits. She was not a heavy drinker – a glass of wine with dinner was her usual fare and this vodka was making her dizzy. She hiccuped, threw her fingers over her lips, and bit her tongue.

"Are you okay?" Emma stepped closer and set a hand on Regina's shoulder. Though Regina flinched, Emma wasn't deterred. She met Regina's cold gaze with worried eyes. This was supposed to be a way of helping Regina loosen up and relax – not give the woman alcohol poisoning. "Do we need to slow down?"

"Get your hands off me."

Emma let go as requested. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

Regina lifted her head proudly. "Your designs upon me are irrelevant."

"I'm not designing anything upon you."

"I'm certain."

"Sarcasm?"

"Everyone is after something," Regina stated. Her tongue felt thick. As her eyes roved Emma's body more openly, she regretted her willingness to participate in this asinine game. Her inhibitions kept her safe – and kept others safe as well. Mother disliked dalliances, she reminded herself, especially flings with people of lesser caliber. This was an opportunity for a scandal after all, and she had no interest in embarrassing herself or her family because this attractive blonde woman was buying her drinks.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, okay. You caught me."

"Ah," Regina responded, hating the way she sounded disappointed. She didn't know this woman. There was no reason to expect that she'd be any different than the other people Regina had ever met.

"I'd like to get to know you because you seem like you could really use a friend."

"I have no need for such-"

"Everyone needs a friend."

"I have friends."

"Name three." Emma lifted her eyebrows and waited with her hands jammed in her pockets.

Regina thought quickly. "Mr. Glass, Mr. Jones, and Ms. Mills."

Emma shook her head. "Don't these people have first names? How'd you meet them?"

"I don't have to justify my social life to you."

"I know you don't." Emma leaned against the bar. "But we've got like an hour to kill before the plane takes off and nothing better to do."

Regina wanted to hate this infuriating blonde woman who asked prying questions and thought she knew about Regina's life – but all Regina could muster was a vague irritation that Emma was feigning interest in her life. Mostly what she felt for Emma was a dull ache between her legs that she was rather unaccustomed to. It was the alcohol, she reminded herself. She wouldn't be feeling such degrading things if Emma hadn't pumped her full of shots. This was Emma's fault – and Emma would gain nothing further from her.

"My name is Regina."

Emma bit back her laugh as she watched dismay cross Regina's features. While saving Amanda was definitely her purpose in this little exchange, she was growing to really enjoy Regina's candid reactions. From what Emma could glean, Regina wasn't used to drinking heavily or explaining herself to anyone. Emma found that she got a kick out of encouraging both behaviors.

"Nice to meet you, Regina." Emma extended her hand, but Regina knocked it away.

"I gave you my name, not permission to touch me."

"Oh?" Emma couldn't stop her waggled eyebrows. "And what'll it take to convince you to give me that?"

Regina tittered and immediately look appalled. "I'm afraid there's no possible way for that outcome to become a reality."

Emma lifted her hands. "I had to try."

"Is that how you ended up in prison?"

"Are you going to keep asking that until I tell you?"

"Yes." Regina frowned. "No. I don't care a whit about your personal background, nor have I any interest in your present or future plans."

Emma pressed her hands to her chest. "Lighten up, okay? Pretend for a second that the world doesn't exist outside this bar, huh? I don't even know what your last name is, so it's not like I could ever ruin your family name by telling your prized secrets to the press… Uh, does the press even care about any of this?"

"Of course," Regina snapped. "I'm a very important person."

"Uh-huh."

"My point stands, Regina. Besides, even if I did know who you are, I'm not interested in dragging your name through the mud. I am interested in dragging-"

"Do not finish that thought."

"Okay, point taken." Emma sighed and smiled. "But I'll tell you about how I landed in prison if you want."

"In exchange for what?"

"Not everything has a price."

Regina rolled her eyes, disbelief plastered on her face. "Very well."

"I was just a kid, really. Well, seventeen – but that's still a kid in my book. My boyfriend at the time had stolen some watches a while back and we had this crazy plan that we were going to sell them and start a new life in a place where nobody knew who we were. It was this sorta romantic thing that only sounds possible to stupid kids."

"Intelligence has nothing to do with that sort of dream," Regina murmured. When she realized she'd spoken out loud and that Emma was suddenly looking at her with fresh curiosity, she scowled.

"Anyway… the problem was that the cops knew he'd stored 'em in this locker at a train station. We both knew he couldn't go in and get them without getting caught, so he sent me in. I took the key and I walked in. None of the security people there batted an eye. I thought I was gonna get away with it. It was working out so perfectly. I found the locker. I slid the key in and unlocked it. I opened it up and took the watches out. And then the cops had my face pressed to the tile floor."

"And what happened to your boyfriend?"

"He realized what happened and fled. I tried telling the cops that the watches weren't mine – that I was being forced to get them for him – but with him gone, they needed to charge someone. That someone was me."

"You do realize you were guilty, correct?"

"Yeah. I know I was up to some shifty business – I'm just sore that he got away with it and I went to jail." Emma folded her arms over her chest. "It's just not fair."

"Life's not fair."

"Personal experience?"

"Yes." Regina stared at the bottle of liquor with great longing in her eyes. If she didn't feel so entirely out of control already, she'd want to work on finishing it. But one of her many skills was impeccable self-control. She reached for the bottle, but Emma's hand landed on her wrist again.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I want to forget this conversation even happened."

Emma snorted and tugged her across the bar to one of the myriad tables scattering the small room. They were filthy, Regina thought, but didn't utter a single complaint as Emma got her seated at one and pushed a small bowl of peanuts at her.

"Well, if we're just gonna forget about this conversation, there's no harm in having it in the first place, huh? So tell me, Regina… What's not fair about your life? You're very important, y'know?"

Regina picked a peanut up and fiddled with it. She supposed the risk of harm was relatively low considering that her conversational partner, despite a stint in prison, seemed to be useless and a little slow. Also attractive, her brain reminded her. Her heart thudded a little faster in agreement. Besides, this would be a good deal cheaper than an appointment with her psychologist in L.A.

"I have never been allowed to do as I please."

"Yeah?"

"My life was predetermined the moment I was conceived." Regina kept her tone flat. She had spent years practicing the art of being completely detached and disinterested from emotionally volatile subjects. It wasn't as if her mother was interested in hearing about her feelings. "I have missed several opportunities because they were not deemed suitable for my interests."

"Damn. That really sucks." Emma bit back her follow-up innuendo. While she liked teasing the other woman with come-ons, she recognized that the conversation was taking a serious turn.

"That is, I suppose, one way of putting it."

Regina sat very still in a vain attempt to keep her head steady - she was conscious that she was motionless, but her vision wobbled nonetheless. Still, she was proud that she wasn't slurring her words too badly and Emma seemed oblivious to how truly inebriated she was.

"So…" Emma cleared her throat and flushed. "I guess talking to me was a little – not in the grandiose Plan of Regina's Life?"

"Hardly."

"Have you ever thought about, I dunno, doing what you want for a weekend?"

"Hm?"

"You're already going to miss your meeting, right?" Emma bounced excitedly in her seat. "So why not just say fuck it for the weekend?"

"First of all," Regina stated slowly, making sure to enunciate every word, "I would never use such coarse language."

"Second of all, just think about it. One weekend to be totally off the map. To figure out what you think is fun. What you want from your life. Three nights and two days to just be yourself, without all that pressure that seems to be on your shoulders all the time." Emma leaned closer. "And I know just the place for your mini vacation."

"Didn't you say you were heading to a funeral?"

Emma shrugged. "Well, yeah. But I'm spending the weekend back in my home town. It totally fits the bill of what you need, I promise. Most people haven't heard of it – even people who live in Maine have no idea it exists."

"Sounds… quaint."

"Oh yeah." Emma grinned. "Quaint and quiet and off the map. I mean, we've got internet and cell service and whatever, but-"

"Why should I go with you?" Regina swayed slightly and tilted her head. "I've got important things to be doing-"

"Yup, you're a very important person, I know. But even important people need vacations, right?"

"You haven't answered my question."

"Because… I kinda don't want to go to the funeral alone, okay?"

"Everyone wants something." Regina folded her arms over her chest. "Was that your entire purpose in pulling me aside?"

Emma threw her hands in the air. "Of course not! I didn't even think of it until just now. But it sorta solves both our problems, doesn't it?"

"You mistake my responsibilities as problems."

"Well, they are, in a way." Emma smirked. "And besides, I promise I can show you a good time."

"Believe me, I am very aware of what you want to show me."

Emma snorted. "I like your sense of humor, Regina. And you'll like my-"

"If I agree, will you halt your constant innuendo, or will it merely intensify?"

"Why don't you agree and find out?"

Regina knew it was the alcohol making questionable decisions for her, but she nodded curtly. She didn't know what this would entail, but she was just drunk enough to not care. If her mother complained, she would blame Emma. The blonde seemed like the sort who could take care of herself.

"You are responsible for meeting all my needs."

"Oh I plan to."

"There will be no shenanigans."

Emma's smirk faded as she nodded seriously. "Gotcha. You don't owe me anything except going with me to that funeral. You do that, and I'll show you a great time in the middle of nowhere. You'll want for nothing."

Though she was still suspicious of Emma's motives, Regina stuck her hand out. When Emma shook it firmly, Regina said, "It's a deal."

Emma set her hand against her thigh and tried to ignore the happy tingles that resulted from touching Regina. She had just promised to behave herself and she was going to respect Regina's wishes. No matter how hot Regina was. This wasn't about her own gratification, but Regina's self-discovery. Damn, though, Emma thought, if it wasn't going to be a long weekend.

rr


	2. Chapter 2

Emma helped Regina to her feet when the speaker system announced that their flight was finally ready to board. Regina groused angrily, but unintelligibly, as Emma practically dragged her back out into the masses of disgruntled passengers. The only thing that waived Regina's grumbling was the sight of Emma waving something and getting them onto the plane before the rest of the passengers. Her brain struggled momentarily, but eventually gave up. Whatever Emma had done was irrelevant. They were finally on the blasted plane.

"I will s-see you at the end of the flight," Regina announced. She flopped down into one of the first class seats and pulled the window shade down.

Emma sat beside her. "I hope you don't snore."

Regina wasn't sure what insulted her more – that Emma had the gall to sit next to her, or the implication that she was so unladylike as to snore. She sputtered for a moment before snorting and shutting her eyes. These were matters to which she would attend once sober.

"You better not disturb me."

"I won't."

Regina snuggled down in her chair, pleasantly drunk and weirdly at ease with Emma so close. She could hear the other passengers filing past them, but she was able to mostly block out their inane chatter. She was a master of focus and determination. If she wanted to ignore something, that something would feel as if it didn't truly exist. Like Emma, she thought. The woman was probably perturbed that she wasn't paying any attention – she pried an eye open and found Emma flipping through the SkyMall magazine without any signs of distress.

"Well?"

Emma glanced over. "Well what?"

"Are you really just going to sit there the whole plane ride?"

"You told me no funny business… Unless you've changed your mind?"

Regina narrowed her eyes. "I will not stand for you pestering me."

"Right," Emma confirmed. "So I'm not pestering you."

"So you'll agree to leave me alone?"

Emma flipped a page in the magazine, trying to use her silence as an answer. Dissatisfied with this response, Regina repeated her question in a firmer tone. With a slight roll of her eyes, Emma nodded.

"If it'll make you happy, I'll leave you alone."

"Am I not interesting?"

"You're very interesting. But I'll respect your wishes."

Regina melted back into her seat and stared at the loading passengers. They wouldn't leave her alone, she thought. They would harass her about every little thing – they would regal her with commentary about their lives and their trips. Once they learned of her wealth, they would ask for financial tips, or a job – but this blonde heathen beside her was going to leave her alone.

"I thought you liked me."

"I do like you," Emma responded. Humor laced her tone. She flipped the next page, despite not seeing a single thing on the previous page. She was beginning to get the idea that Regina wanted her attention. "But you just said you wanted me to leave you alone."

"So now you're going to respect my wishes?"

"We shook on it, Regina. I'm to show you a good time and keep my hands to myself. I'm trying to do exactly what you told me to."

"Hmph."

"Why don't you close your eyes?" Emma smiled as gently as she could. "You'll be a little more sober later – and a little less-"

"You got me this way. You deal with it."

Emma felt like she'd gotten Regina pregnant instead of drunk. She snorted. "Alright. So tell me, Regina, what do you want me to talk to you about?"

"You're in charge of entertaining me. You figure it out."

"Tell me about your family."

"You're assuming I have one."

"Most people have a family of some sort."

"I don't want to talk about them."

"Okay…" Emma lifted the magazine again, feeling like she would never find something Regina wanted to talk about – so the effort in trying would be wasted. Anyways, there was a fairly interesting looking penguin-shaped mini fridge half way down the page.

After several moments, Regina leaned back in her seat, rolled her eyes up, and sighed heavily. "Very well. Because you are so intensely interested in my private life, I suppose I can pander to your whims this once."

"Hm?"

"My mother is Cora Mills. She is a matriarch in all senses of the word. My father is Henry, otherwise known as Mr. Cora Mills."

"Wait a second…"

"What?" Regina snapped. Here she was – baring her soul and revealing details that she really shouldn't – and Emma was interrupting. The nerve of some people.

"Earlier you said one of your friends was a Ms. Mills. Please, please, please don't tell me you were talking about your mother."

Regina frowned. "Of course not."

"Then who were you talking about?"

"What's your point?" Regina hated squirming; she wasn't about to let this ingrate make her feel somehow lesser. "I suppose you don't value familial relationships, but those of us with morals and a conscience-"

"Whoa." Emma lifted a hand. "I just meant that mothers are, well, mothers."

"You wouldn't count your mother as a friend?"

"I haven't for a very long time. Ten years, actually."

"How old are you?" Regina wished she could curb her tongue. She was interested in Emma, or at least in their discussion, but, under normal circumstances, she would never see the point.

"Twenty eight."

"Young."

"Oh come off it." Emma forgot her promise momentarily and let her gaze slide down Regina's figure. "You don't look a day over thirty."

"The Mills women have always aged well."

"How old are you?"

"Never ask a woman her age."

"Well, I've never been big on manners. So?"

"Why do you no longer consider your mother your friend?" Regina countered, her lips wobbling into an unsteady smile. She ought to be smirking, she thought, but the alcohol was dulling the edge of her sass. She also should have given Emma a tongue lashing for the personal questions – but all she could do was think about the innuendo Emma would make if she said the words 'tongue' and 'lashing.' Her smile intensified before she could flatten her expression once more.

Emma watched the peculiar flickering of emotions and was very curious as to what caused them. The smile faded too quickly, though, and she decided to simply answer the question. "The kid was born and he really shifted the whole dynamic of the family."

"You have a ten year old brother?"

"He's a good kid." Emma shifted uncomfortably to watch the last of the boarding passengers shuffle past them. "But when he was born, my mom suddenly decided it was time to be a mom instead of a friend."

Regina wasn't quite sure how to respond to that and the haze hanging over her brain certainly wasn't helping. "I'm sure your brother is grateful for that."

"Maybe."

"My mother was quite strict," Regina revealed, "but that's what children need. No child knows what is best for herself, after all. Children thrive with structure and rules, not anarchy and friendship."

Emma winced. "Well, I mean…"

"I didn't mean to say-" Regina cleared her throat. "I'm sure you had quite the pleasant childhood."

"I was their princess – my mom had some cysts on her uterus, so they never thought she could have a kid, so when I came along, they thought I was their little miracle. If I wanted to draw on the walls, they let me draw on the walls. If I wanted to throw a tantrum in the middle of a restaurant, they bought me ice cream. So really, I was a terror, not a princess."

Regina settled back into her seat. The woman next to her hardly looked like any sort of terror. Emma had a kind face, she decided, and didn't seem like the type of person who was a monstrous child. She pondered briefly the idea of Emma as a juvenile delinquent. In Regina's imagination, Emma had been a gangly kid comprised of sharp angles rather than luscious curves, a sly smirk on wry lips, and a black leather jacket complete with silver buckles and interior pocket for cigarettes illegally obtained. Emma probably had a Zippo with flames painted with nail polish on the side.

"Anyway, I'd probably have to agree. Sometimes I do wonder what I'd be like if my parents had actually bothered raising me."

"I find it to be a waste of time to consider such impossibilities. Regardless of your origins, you are who you are today and all you can do is change who you will be tomorrow."

"You're deep when you're drunk."

"That's if you believe that people can honestly change." Regina hiccupped.

Emma frowned. "Well, do you think people are born bad?"

"No. I think people play the roles that are given to them."

"I don't really think people are born good, either." Emma wrinkled her nose. "So that means, at least in my perspective, that people are born blank slates. You change into whoever you become."

"Your point?"

"Change has to be possible for people, otherwise how did they become who they are?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well, yes, but then who they are solidifies and change is no longer an option. Excuse me for being trite, but you cannot teach an old dog new tricks."

"You're crotchety, stiff, and uptight. You really wanna be like that until you die?"

With no apparent hesitation, Regina jerked her head in the affirmative. "Yes."

"That's boring." Emma set her magazine completely aside, aware that she would probably not have a moment of peace and quiet until Regina fell asleep. She couldn't help but smirk at the thought that she had somehow wrangled all of Regina's attention, despite Regina's complaints to the contrary. That was fine by her, as Regina's attention was somehow just what she wanted. "People who don't change are doomed, y'know? Life isn't static, and neither are people."

Regina shrugged her shoulders, an ungainly movement that didn't quite suit her – but the alcohol was still streaming through her system. She stilled herself and sniffed daintily. Much better, she thought. She may be drunk, but she didn't have to act like a simpleton or a brute. Emma was a brute. She was a lady.

"If you are not able to stand up for your fastidiously held beliefs, then what is your worth?"

"But you aren't your beliefs. Besides, those beliefs change, too."

"I suppose if you're weak."

Emma snorted. "It's not weak to understand that sometimes you're not quite right. There's no law that says that what you think today is what you have to think tomorrow, too. I think if you don't change a little bit every day, you're not doing it right."

"Ridiculous. Are you saying that I haven't been living my life appropriately?"

"That's what we're going to find out, isn't it?" Emma leaned a little closer, expecting Regina to pull back. When the brunette remained in place, Emma butted their noses together and grinned. "My way or your way, the smack down of lifestyles."

"Remove yourself from my person." Regina hated that she sounded somewhat breathless – as if Emma's presence had affected her in some positive way. She cleared her throat to try again, but got distracted by the playful glitter of Emma's eyes.

Regina let her eyes slide shut. She wasn't drowsy, but she hated when planes lifted into the air. The feeling of her stomach clenching and dropping was unpleasant; sooner or later, she thought, she'd have to fund some sort of teleportation research. It would be wonderful to disappear in a puff of smoke and reappear at her final destination rather than going through this. Air travel was almost more trouble than it was worth. Hundreds of distasteful people, delayed flights, and then the actual horrible flight itself. She had been nervous on her way to the airport, though she'd never show that side of herself to anyone, and the delay had just been one more shitty thing to happen to her.

She pried one eye open a bit when Emma took her hand. With her head buzzing she couldn't quite figure out if Emma was another shitty thing, or someone actually worth her time. There was that damn magnetic draw she had to the other woman, but that was meaningless to her. People weren't important in her life because people were ephemeral and fleeting. Her control over others was tenuous at best; money and power, however, were much more consistent and couldn't be ripped from her hands. She was too sly for that and she had been brought up to think strategically. Everyone is a possible enemy, Mother had told her, but treat them as an ally until you are poised to strike.

Still, it was difficult to imagine Emma as an enemy any longer. Emma had been true to her word thus far and Regina found herself looking forward to this weekend. That was, she presumed, the alcohol talking. As the plane rumbled into the sky, she felt herself oddly comforted, though she wasn't sure if it was the depressants in the alcohol or Emma's warm hand over hers.

"You look a bit… sick." Emma stared at Regina and cocked an eyebrow. The other woman was paler than she ought to be and tinted a little greener than usual. The pallor wasn't becoming, though it was hard to say that anything about the other woman wasn't attractive. Emma found that she couldn't help but like people, no matter how much they eventually hurt her, but the draw to Regina was something else. "Can I help?"

"You are," Regina admitted.

"What's wrong?"

"Plane."

"Nothing's wrong with the plane." Emma glanced around. "You want me to get a flight attendant?"

"No."

Regina took three deep breaths and shook her head slowly. "It is merely a slow acclimation to the change in pressure-"

"You're afraid of flying."

"I am no such thing." The way her voice trembled at the end gave away her lie, and Emma rolled her eyes in response.

"Fear isn't a weakness."

"I renege my previous comment. You are no help whatsoever."

"Sorry."

"Just… stop talking."

"Okay…" Emma had no interest in resuming the reading of her magazine but had nothing else to distract her during their somewhat lengthy flight. She picked at the edges of the pages.

Within five minutes, Regina sighed. "Very well. What do you want to talk about?"

"It seems like we can't just leave each other alone, huh?" Emma smirked. "Something about me you like?"

"I like when you are silent."

"Apparently not."

"I dislike your fidgeting. Did your mother never tell you that idle hands are the devil's playthings?"

"Uh, no. Didn't we already go over this?"

Regina turned her gaze out the window. "I suppose."

"You're nervous about the flight," Emma guessed, "and you aren't really able to think straight right now."

"It would explain my inexplicable desire to hear you blather on," Regina gritted out.

"Okay, so if we're going to talk, you have to promise that you won't be so uptight when I ask you simple questions about yourself. I'm not just going to sit here talking about myself and boring both of us, got it?" Emma extended her hand.

Regina ignored it. "Very well."

Emma let her hand drop. "So tell me about this really important business meeting you're going to miss."

"I-"

"And remember what you just agreed to."

"The meeting was to discuss terms of a merger." Regina relaxed as the plane hit its cruising altitude. She unclenched her hands and fixed her hair – though not a strand was out of place. "A rather major merger."

"My family's in some serious business. They were always disappointed that I wasn't interested in that sort of stuff."

"What is it that you do?"

"I'm a pilot." Emma winked at a passing flight attendant, who promptly smiled back. "I like the freedom of jetting from coast to coast. My parents hate it, but sometimes you just really need to get away, y'know?"

"You run from your problems."

"I wouldn't say that, exactly." Emma fidgeted. "It's just that I don't really dig serious confrontation. If the best option is for me to leave for a while, I'll totally do that. I'll come back, probably, but when things cool down."

"What made you become a pilot? From what were you running?"

Emma hesitated a moment. Regina noted the way Emma's eyes flashed to the side before Emma answered. "It was stifling… I grew up in a small town. Everyone knows everyone else's business and I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out."

Rather than call Emma's obvious lie, Regina settled back into her seat. "I see. I find confrontation very bracing myself. I thrive in such environments."

"Then it's nice you're in business. I'm sure you're as cutthroat as they come."

"I prefer to think of myself as well educated, savvy, and focused."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It wasn't meant as a negative thing. Cutthroat definitely equals really good for making your business thrive. You can't get very far if you give everything away, right?"

Regina sighed. "Quite honestly, I would prefer if my company had a not-for-profit aspect. We make several billion dollars annually, and I would like to give back to the community. A gesture of good will, as it were. However, my mother holds the purse strings and she would rather be rich than kind."

"So there is a heart in there."

"Of course there is," Regina snapped. "What is lacking is patience for idiocy."

"We're going to have a fun weekend, I can tell." Emma examined Regina's taut face and decided to relent. "Did you want some water?"

"I would like a water, yes." Regina bit back the second half of her sentence which portrayed her gratitude to the blonde for considering her needs. Never thank the help for doing what they ought to have been doing in the first place, her mother had told her. Despite her focus on this thought, her mouth moved of its own accord. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Emma flagged a flight attendant down. "A water for the lady, please."

"Right away."

"Do you enjoy your job?" Regina waited until they were once again relatively alone before starting in on Emma once more.

"Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't be doing it. There's plenty to do in the world, so why do something that you hate?" Emma caught the subtle shift in Regina's posture and groaned. "Please don't tell me you hate your job."

"I don't hate my job."

"Well at least there's that… So what's with the shifty eyes and slouching shoulders?"

Regina bristled but eventually released the tension from her body with a puff of air. "I sometimes do wonder what business would be like if my mother were not running the show."

"You'll find out eventually, I guess." Realizing that her statement sounded a bit morbid, Emma shook her head. "I just mean that everyone retires. So sooner or later, someone else will be at the helm. Probably you, right?"

"I don't think so. Mother always made it clear that I wasn't what she wanted in a daughter."

"Well… that – uh – sucks."

"That's certainly one way of putting it."

"I'm not trying to make light of it. I just don't really know what else to say. Like, nothing I say will change anything, and I can't say something that'll suddenly make things better. But I just want you to know that I'm listening and I think it… sucks."

Regina fought the smile creeping onto her face and failed. "It is so rare in my life that I meet someone who listens."

"I come from a family of lovey-dovey chatterboxes. Whatever you do, don't tell my mom a secret. Half the town will know within an hour." Emma chuckled. It was one of the more annoying things about her mom, in her opinion. She'd tell her mother about a boy she liked in second grade, and the next day, they'd be on a playdate together. It seemed the only thing the woman was capable of keeping secret was the one thing that could potentially ruin their family.

"I can't say I'm looking forward to meeting her." Regina accepted the water that was passed to her and took a long, slow sip. The buzzing in her head was gradually decreasing, and the water would no doubt help. If she could be sober when they landed, she would be very pleased.

"Why not?"

"You seem to have a certain distaste for her." Regina cut off the rest of her response. She liked Emma a good deal, she realized, and if someone were anything less than nice to the blonde, she knew she'd have an immediate problem with them. That had always been her problem, according to her mother – she decided much too quickly how she felt about other people and made questionable decisions based upon that judgment.

"I've got a long list of grievances, but I'm pretty sure everybody does for parents." Emma let out a heavy sigh. "It's just a matter of what you can ignore well enough to just get along during the holidays, right? But that doesn't mean my mom's a bad person. It just means that we have too much between us to ever be friendly again."

Regina nodded, feeling infinitely better due to the hydration. "I dare say my mother is a bad person. I hope you keep secrets better than your mother because I'm fairly certain I'd get fired if anyone found out I said that."

"She'd fire her own daughter?"

"In a heartbeat."

Emma whistled. "I'm not sure I'd like your mother much. There's some bad shit in my family, but I know we'd all drop everything if someone needed something. That's why I'm going back to this funeral, no matter how awkward and un-fun it's going to be. My mom needs me."

"I wonder how that must feel."

"For the weekend, consider me family, huh? Know that I'd drop anything for you. I'd even drop to my knees, if you let me." Emma tried to use her innuendo to lighten the suddenly morose mood.

Regina snorted. "Your lines were much smoother when we were on land."

"Maybe you're just drunk now and can't fully understand just how majestic my come-ons are." Emma smirked. "Maybe I just swept you off your feet earlier and now you have higher expectations."

"Ridiculous."

"Slightly bit true?" Emma raised her eyebrows playfully. "Even just a little bit."

This time Regina didn't bother working against the smile; her face lit up naturally and Emma felt quite accomplished. Regina set a hand on Emma's lower arm and searched Emma's face with her gaze.

"I still don't understand why you'd drop everything for me. Why you're doing this for me."

"I'm feeling pretty shitty these days. I feel better when I help other people – or at least it distracts from my own problems. So yeah, I'm helping you, but it's to help me, too. It makes me hope that someone out there might do the same for me when I need it."

"Perhaps someone will."

"I can always dream, right?" Emma took the empty cup from Regina's fingers and fiddled with it. She bent it out of shape as she considered what her dreams were likely to be about for the next few nights. It was entirely inappropriate to think of Regina like that, especially given her promise, but the brunette was attractive and scathing, a combination that generally made Emma weak at the knees.

Regina made a note to herself that if things went well that weekend, she would find some way to reward Emma for a job well done. She ignored that she wouldn't normally do such a thing, and pushed away all the pesky thoughts surrounding why she felt so inclined to be nice to the blonde woman. She was a savvy business woman – not a sap who got a girlish crush on the first person to show her kindness.

Whatever drove her need to make Emma happy, it certainly wasn't a swelling emotion in her breast that felt something like fondness. The feeling made her uncomfortable. She therefore chose to bury it away. She was in charge of her feelings, not the other way around.

"Wake me when we arrive." Regina murmured. She shut her eyes, not paying attention to the way Emma's eyes were trained upon her face. She missed Emma's soft smile in favor of forcing herself to sleep off the rest of her buzz.

Emma leaned back and shut her eyes as well. "Fine, fine. Sleep well, Regina."

"If you wish for me to sleep, you need to be quiet."

"I'm trying to sleep, too."

"Well then you should have no problem being quiet."

"No problem at all."

"Good."

Emma pried an eye open, her smile widening. Regina just had to have the last word – and Emma was certain that sparks would fly when the sassy woman met her mother.


End file.
